Emili Rousaud has promised to bring Neymar back to Barcelona if he is elected president.
Rousaud is one of the leading candidates to take over from Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned as president of the Catalan giants in October. Rousaud had previously worked as Bartomeu’s vice president.
The election is set to take place in January, and Rousaud has put forward a strong case for him taking the reins. As quoted by Spanish publication Marca, the Spaniard has promised to re-sign Brazilian superstar Neymar from Paris Saint Germain, as well as one other “top player”.
“We will sign two top players, one of them is Neymar. We are working to bring him back to Barcelona” he said.
It is currently unclear who the other player is, but we can expect to find out in due course.
“We hope to be able to announce shortly the name of the other franchise player that we want to bring. It will not leave anyone indifferent. We have a direct line with the player.”
Neymar joined Barcelona in 2013 from Santos for an astronomical fee of over £71m. The attacker enjoyed immense success at the Camp Nou, scoring 105 goals in four seasons and winning six major trophies.
In 2017, he moved to Paris Saint Germain for a world record fee of £198m. He has since netted 73 goals in 93 appearances in all competitions.
Relations between Neymar and Barcelona have soured since the transfer, and the player currently has a lawsuit against the club. Nonetheless, the Brazilian is still popular with the fans and would be welcomed back to the Camp Nou with open arms. Rousaud is also willing to leave all disputes in the past.
Among Rousaud’s other promises is to rename the Camp Nou after Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi, as well as to use club legends Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Carles Puyol to “establish a firm bond with the club, the team and La Masía.”
